Medical Writing Corner Page 1 of 7 Preventing a troublesome revision process due to misused articles Jeremy Dean Chapnick Editorial Office, AME Publishing Company Correspondence to: Jeremy Dean Chapnick. Editorial Office, AME Publishing Company. Email:
[email protected]. Abstract: The English articles (a/an/the) are the most commonly used word in the English language; while simultaneously causing the most trouble for foreign writers during the revision and writing process. In the paper, preventing a troublesome revision process due to misused articles, it will delve deeper into why articles are essential, how to avoid using the wrong one, and the horrible communication mistakes that happen when misusing them. It will also provide authors with some quick tips and tricks for getting articles correct, and to make sure that submitted articles do not have any article problems. Keywords: Indefinite article; definite article; zero article; grammar; foreign writing Received: 07 December 2018; Accepted: 10 December 2018; Published: 14 December 2018. doi: 10.21037/amj.2018.12.04 View this article at: http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/amj.2018.12.04 Part 1: why is using an article important? extremely common. Nearly every manuscript sent to the editor for a check of English language usage and editing will An article is a word that modifies a noun. In the most basic be returned with comments noting that the authors have explanation, there are three English articles, and these misused articles and must further revise. articles tell the reader so much information about a noun. The three written articles are the most commonly used There is the indefinite article, which is a or an, the definite words in the English language, so it is critical that a writer article, which is the, and the zero article, which is no article must master them.